At least 165 people have been killed and more than 1,000 remain missing after flash floods and landslides struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, sweeping away villages, vehicles and buildings on both sides of the frontier, officials said Thursday.
Nepal has reported 162 deaths, while three people were killed in China’s Tibet region after the disaster struck along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems. Rescue teams on both sides are searching for hundreds of people still unaccounted for, including foreign tourists, Indian nationals and security personnel.
In Nepal, the floods struck three districts on Wednesday after an ice-rock avalanche blocked the Lhende River near the Nepal-China border, sending a debris-laden torrent downstream. The flooding first hit Timure, near the Rasuwagadhi border crossing, sweeping away much of the settlement and more than 300 vehicles and trucks parked at a customs checkpoint.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said an ice-rock landslide about 20 km northeast of Rasuwagadhi blocked the Lhende River, triggering a debris-filled flood that later entered the Trishuli River through Timure.
The US Geological Survey said its preliminary analysis indicated that the seismic activity initially reported as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake was instead caused by a glacial collapse and debris flow, which triggered catastrophic flooding downstream in Nepal and Tibet.
On the Nepal side, at least 133 Indians and 37 NRIs are among those missing, officials said. At least 50 of the missing Indians were pilgrims travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Another 81 security personnel, including Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel, remain unaccounted for.
Nepal's Tourism Ministry said 468 tourists, including 393 foreigners, were missing a day after the disaster. The missing foreign nationals include citizens of India, Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States.
Across the border, Chinese state media reported that three people were killed in the mudslide at Gyirong Port in Tibet, while 558 people, including 260 foreigners, remained missing.
The disaster has caused widespread destruction along the river valleys. Entire villages and market areas were swept away, while rescuers searched through mud and debris for survivors. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was sending emergency supplies, including blankets, first-aid kits, stretchers and body bags.
In Tibet, nearly 800 emergency workers, 150 vehicles, sniffer dogs and speed boats were mobilised for rescue operations, according to Chinese state media.
Floods and landslides have also severely disrupted transport in Nepal, with major highways blocked or closed across several districts. Nine hydropower projects and nine commercial bank branches have been destroyed, while preliminary assessments indicate that 19 motorable bridges and around 40 km of highways were washed away.
The flooding has affected at least seven districts in Nepal, with waters surging downstream towards Chitwan on the border with India. Syabrubesi, a gateway to popular trekking routes and a transit point for pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash, was among the worst-hit areas.
Experts have warned of the possibility of another flood if debris continues to block the river upstream. Climate change-driven glacial melting is also increasing the risk of glacial collapses and floods in the Himalayan region.
The scale of the disaster, with more than 1,000 people still missing across Nepal and Tibet, has prompted a major cross-border rescue effort as authorities race to locate survivors and assess the extent of the destruction.
(With inputs from PTI, AFP)